Paper Example on Impulse Shopping & Social Media: Who Has the Most Impact?

Social Media and Consumer Impulse Buying Behavior: Which Social Media Platform has the Foremost Influence on Consumer Impulsive Shopping?

IntroductionThe most common assumption in the marketing field is that consumers make rational purchasing decisions. However, there are many instances where humans buy goods or services exceeding those they planned for, or buy at higher prices than expected. These unplanned purchasing decisions are referred to as impulse shopping (Aragoncillo & Orus, 2018). Marketing experts predict that impulse shopping will continue to exist as long as people have desires to sell or buy a product or service. In the past, the factors that triggered impulse buying among consumers included peer pressure, decision fatigue and consumer manipulation. Despite research studies such as those by Aragoncillo and Orus (2018) showing that the contemporary consumer is highly informed, impulse shopping is still inevitable in contemporary society. In the US for example, it is estimated that up to 40% of consumers make impulse purchase decisions at the point of product or service sell. Aragoncillo and Orus (2018) further acknowledge the role that social media has played in influencing people's purchasing decisions. Before 2004, the traditional media such as television, radio, and newspapers were the leaders in shaping buyers' decisions (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). People were making impulse purchases because of the adverts they saw on TV or heard on the radio. In 2004, the creation of Facebook became the conception of the new paradigm in marketing because since then, there has been exponential growth in social media usage both for communication and marketing purposes.

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At present, social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp are the leading sources of information and news. Additionally, these social media outlets have unique strategies that enabled businesses to interact with their customers, in that way, shaping their purchase decisions. User-generated contents such as videos and photos in platforms such as Twitter and Instagram provide limitless possibilities to businesses to influence buyers. In the recent past, there has been an upsurge in the usage of social media across the globe and it has, without doubt, become the most popular platform for conducting online activities surrounding communication, entertainment, and marketing (Sjoberg, 2017). The growing number of active users is attributed to increasing mobile possibilities and internet coverage for millennials which makes it possible and simpler to access social media regardless of the location. Furthermore, all social media platforms are currently accessible as mobile applications which has made optimization of mobile browsing to be possible, as users find it easier to access their preferred social media platform while continuing their usual businesses. As of 2018, there were 3.2 billion users in all social media platforms globally (Kircaburun & Griffiths, 2018). While this figure is expected to rise exponentially in the next year, the present-day statistics estimate that active social media users equated to 42% of the contemporary global population. In terms of usage per social media platform, Facebook remains supreme over the rest given its vast population o active users estimated to be 2.27 billion per month (Kircaburun & Griffiths, 2018). It means that almost 25% of the global population is using Facebook at least one time every month. Instagram despite being formed in 2012 is ranked second in popularity has it has up to 1 billion users per month and 500 million active users every day. Instagram stories are the most popular feature which attracts p to 400 million users per day (Kircaburun & Griffiths, 2018). Twitter is ranked the third most common social media platform which has 326 million active users every month.

Within 7 years of operations, Instagram has risen to be the most influential marketing site globally attributed to its strategic partnering approach with e-commerce giants such as BigCommerce and Shopify which has increased its friendliness to shoppers and retailers. New tools such as Instagram Stories have the greatest influence on users' purchase decisions as it increased consumer reach within seconds (Kircaburun & Griffiths, 2018). At present, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook are no longer the leaders in influencing consumers to buy products advertised on the platforms. Instagram rose to become the leading marketing platform in the recent past because of the platform's visual appeal which is critical in advertising products online. One of the leading reasons Instagram is supreme on influencing purchase decisions, other than its visual appeal, is the fact that majority of its users, 68%, are millennials aged between 18 and 24 who form the largest market for services and products compared to the aging Baby Boomers (Kircaburun & Griffiths, 2018). Furthermore, millennials are said to be the most responsive generations to social media such that the success of online advertising should focus on this segment of a business must realize positive marketing impact. According to Savci and Aysan (2016), millennials have an increased likelihood of purchasing products or services recommended or advertised by the persons they are following on Instagram. In Savci and Aysan's (2016) research, millennials as many as 54% of the sampled participants suggested that they have bought products they saw on Instagram not because they wanted it but the person or celebrity they follow was advertising them. In another study involving the top social media influencers of consumer purchase behavior in the US, Instagram was found to be the leading social media platform in consumer response and generation of sales compared with other social networks. The leading influencers of buyer consumption behavior, according to the study, are friends, partners, and family members followed closely by television and consumer reviews on Instagram. Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter in order of decreasing impact on buyer behavior followed Instagram with a wide margin implying that in the social media influence of buyer decisions, Instagram is the leading platform followed by Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

Purpose and Significance of the Study

It is now a well-known fact to businesses that social media, at the advent of technology and the internet, is the leading platform for advertising products and services. As more consumers rely on social media to make a purchase decision, the study on how popular social media platform influence users' impulse buying behavior is important for both businesses and consumers. Twitter and Instagram are the major social media platforms in which millennial consumers are receptive to their marketing messages. Impulse buying is beneficial to businesses as it drives sale volumes thus contributing to productivity and profitability. It is thus important to select a social media platform that not only has the leading consumer and prospect reach but also influence consumers' impulsive buying behaviors. The study will focus on Twitter and Instagram following the suggestions in a number of previous studies which classify them as the leading platforms which many active users and those that provide marketing channels in an easy and fun approach to networking as the users stay connected with their family and friends. The study has the significance of ending the long-standing debate on the effectiveness of Twitter and Instagram in positively influencing impulsive buying and influencing users to make purchases. There is a need to provide insights into the debate and choose a social media platform that many users are responsive to their messages and will influence their impulsive buying behaviors easily. Different aspects of the two social media platforms such as visual appeal will be considered in analyzing their superiority in driving sales and impulse buying behaviors.

The research findings will be useful for any business or company aspiring to choose a social media platform that generates more conversation between the users, influences their purchase decisions and drives sales. Choosing an appropriate social media platform to drive sales and impact on prospects' impulsive buying decisions requires businesses to consider channels which demonstrate not only the brand voice but also generates authentic connections with customers and leads rather than concentrating on direct marketing messages. Social media users are increasingly becoming responsive to appealing marketing messages. According to Sjoberg (2017), Twitter and Instagram platforms shine in their ability to influence buyers' purchasing decisions as many of them seek information about services or products with the considerations of recommendations made by other individuals they are sharing network together. The behavior of seeking information about products through social media is beneficial to product manufacturers and retailers but detrimental to individual consumers because of the concept of impulse purchases. Businesses can use the findings from this study to make informed choices and choose a social media platform, between Instagram and Twitter which has the greatest potential of exploiting the human desires instant gratification which is the leading trigger of impulse purchase decisions. While in threatening consumers' financial security, impulse buying brings success and profits to businesses.

Research Objectives

The study analyzes the degree to which Twitter and Instagram, as marketing platforms, will influence users' impulse buying decisions. The specific objectives of the research study will be to:

• Determine the effectiveness of Twitter and Instagram in positively influencing impulsive buying decisions.
• Evaluate and determine the social media platform that can generate more impulse buying behavior among its user base.
• Explain the reason why Twitter or Instagram can generate more impulse buying behaviors among users.

Research Questions and Hypothesis

The research study aims at providing succinct answers to the following questions:

• Which social media platform between Twitter and Instagram has more reach among consumers?
• Does social media impact on consumer impulse behavior?
• What is the role of impulse purchase behavior in driving leads and purchases in present-day businesses?
• Which social media platform between Twitter and Instagram can generate more impulse buying behavior among its user base?

From these research questions, the formulated hypothesis includes:

H0: Social media has no impact on consumer impulse behavior.

H1: Instagram can generate more impulse buying behaviors than Twitter...